Achill International Harp Festival 2019

Achill Island will be alive and buzzing once again 25-28th October 2019 with the rich and vibrant sounds of harps from around the world again, for the third incarnation of the Achill International Harp Festival, over the October Bank Holiday weekend!

Nightly concerts during the festival will give audiences an opportunity to hear some of the finest international exponents of the harp and other traditional instruments.

The festival will open on Friday 26th with a collaborative concert, as we have done in 2016 with the premiere of Sraith Oileán Acla / Achill Island Suite, a first to combine bagpipes, harps and traditional ensemble, paying homage to the historical and cultural connections with Achill and Scotland, and in 2017 with our Breton Mayo collaboration with legendary flute player Jean-Michel Veillon and musical director Laoise Kelly on harp, along with harps and bagpipes from both traditions as well as songs with common themes and traditional ensemble.

The festival also features wonderful opportunities to engage with the harp, both as a player and a maker. Various styles and levels of harp workshops, from complete beginners, through intermediate to advanced will be taught by the visiting international harpers. A unique opportunity for potential harp makers or those with a curiosity to try, a harp-making workshop led by master craftsmen Graham Wright (Ireland) and Charles Perpoil (France). You can go away with your very own harp!